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Battery pack structure with heaterRelated Patent Categories: Chemistry: Electrical Current Producing Apparatus, Product, And Process, Fuel Cell, Subcombination Thereof Or Methods Of Operating, Having Heat Exchange MeansBattery pack structure with heater description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20080096072, Battery pack structure with heater. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a battery pack structure with a heater, comprising a plurality of secondary batteries each of which has a power generating element and a battery case accommodating it, a housing case that houses the plurality of secondary batteries, and a heater. [0003] 2. Description of Related Art [0004] Batteries such as nickel-metal hydride storage batteries have been watched as power sources of portable devices and power sources of electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, and others. [0005] However, the batteries such as nickel-metal hydride storage batteries have problems that discharge capacity is apt to decrease during cold conditions, failing to provide adequate output power. If such battery is used as a power source of an electric vehicle, a hybrid electric vehicle, or the like, for instance, it could not generate sufficient output power in low-temperature conditions, e.g., in a cold region where temperatures may fall to sub-zero. [0006] In recent years, some techniques for solving the above problems by attaching a heater to a battery to heat the battery by use of a household power source have been proposed (e.g., Jpn. unexamined utility model publication No. 60 (1985)-192367 and Jpn. unexamined patent publication No. 2002-216731). [0007] Jpn. unexamined utility model publication No. 60 (1985)-192367 discloses a battery pack structure with heater, in which a sheet heater is placed inside a bottom of a housing case made of a heat insulation material and two batteries are arranged in contact with the sheet heater in a container. Jpn. unexamined patent publication No. 2002-216731 discloses a heater system having a heater attached to a battery. The techniques disclosed in the above publications, in which the batteries are heated by use of the heaters, could improve the output characteristics of the batteries even in low-temperature conditions. [0008] According to the techniques disclosed in the above publications including direct heating of the batteries by the heaters, the batteries tend to excessively rise in temperature if the temperatures of the heaters abnormally increase due to any malfunction or failure. [0009] When a plurality of secondary batteries (a "secondary battery" in the following description represents a battery including a power generating element and a battery case accommodating the power generating element) is heated according to the method configured to directly heat batteries by use of a heater as disclosed in the above publications, there is a case where the battery temperatures widely vary among the heated batteries. This may be caused when some of the secondary batteries are out of contact with the heater, because the secondary batteries out of contact with the heater and the secondary batteries in contact with the heater are largely different in quantity of heat conducted from the heater. In such case, the output characteristics are largely different from one secondary battery to another. Thus, an entire battery pack could not produce stable output. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0010] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances and has an object to provide a battery pack structure with heater, comprising a plurality of secondary batteries, a housing case that houses them, and a heater, the battery pack structure being arranged to prevent uneven heating among the secondary batteries and minimize temperature variations among the secondary batteries. [0011] To achieve the purpose of the invention, there is provided a battery pack structure with heater comprising: a battery pack including: a plurality of secondary batteries each of which includes a power generating element and a battery case accommodating the power generating element; and a housing case that houses the plurality of secondary batteries; and a heater, wherein the housing case includes a spaced part made of metal which is located with a space from each of the secondary batteries, and the heater is placed on at least part of an outer surface of the spaced part. [0012] In the battery pack structure with heater of the present invention, a heater is placed on at least part of the outer surface of the metal spaced part located in spaced relation to each of the secondary batteries. According to this configuration, heat will be conducted from the heater to the metal spaced part, heating the air in the space through the heated spaced part. Each secondary battery is exposed to the heated air and thus heated. [0013] It is to be noted that the "spaced part" is integrally formed as a portion of the housing case so as to be spaced apart from the secondary batteries. [0014] Since each secondary battery is indirectly heated as above by the spaced part and the air in the space, it is possible to prevent each secondary battery from becoming unevenly heated, and reduce variations in temperature among the secondary batteries. This makes it possible to minimize variations in output characteristics among the secondary batteries. The entire battery pack can therefore produce stable output. [0015] Further, even when the heater abnormally rises in temperature due to any malfunction or failure, an excessive increase in temperature of each secondary battery can be prevented owing to the space provided between the heater and each secondary battery. [0016] Here, the "power generating element" is accommodated in a battery case for providing a battery function and for example includes positive plates, negative plates, separators, and electrolyte. [0017] The secondary battery may include a cell constituted of one power generating element and a battery case housing it. Further, it may include a battery module provided with a battery case having a plurality of integrally formed compartments and a plurality of power generating elements accommodated individually in the compartments. [0018] In the above battery pack structure with heater, preferably, the heater is detachably placed on the outer surface of the spaced part. [0019] In the above battery pack structure with heater, it is preferably configured such that the heater constitutes a heater unit in association with the holding members which hold the heater(s) directly or indirectly, and the holding member detachably holds the heater unit on the outer surface of the housing case while the heater is held in contact with at least part of the outer surface of the spaced part of the housing case. [0020] In the above battery pack structure with heater, preferably, the housing case and the plurality of secondary batteries are arranged in a positional relation that the spaced part of the housing case is located with the space from and below the secondary batteries in a vertical direction when the battery pack structure with heater is disposed in a position in use. [0021] In the above battery pack structure with heater, preferably, the secondary batteries are arranged in a row, the spaced part of the housing case includes a specific spaced portion located with the space from a specific secondary battery of the secondary batteries in a direction perpendicular to a row direction of the secondary batteries, and the heater is placed on the outer surface of the spaced part excepting the specific spaced portion. [0022] In the above battery pack structure with heater, preferably, the secondary batteries are connected in series to each other. Continue reading about Battery pack structure with heater... Full patent description for Battery pack structure with heater Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Battery pack structure with heater patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Battery pack structure with heater or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Fluid manager using two shape memory alloy components and a battery including the same Next Patent Application: Line system for a supplying and/or discharging fluids for a fuel cell Industry Class: Chemistry: electrical current producing apparatus, product, and process ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Battery pack structure with heater patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.14175 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Electronics: Semiconductor , Audio , Illumination , Connectors , Crypto , 174 |
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